DRW College Prep Celebrates Their First Graduating Class
Congratulations to the first graduating and all of the students at DRW College Prep.
DRW College Prep (DRWCP) officially opened its doors to 200 students in the Homan Square neighborhood of Chicago in August 2012. Four years later, the school and its 625 students celebrate a major milestone as their first class reaches graduation.
DRW College Prep is one of 17 schools in the Noble Network of Charter Schools in Chicago. Noble’s mission is to prepare low-income students to succeed in college and lead exemplary lives through a top-notch education and a culture of discipline and commitment.
DRW College Prep is different from the average Chicago public high school. For one, the school days are longer and their summers are shorter, but the success outweighs the sacrifice for students and teachers. Eighty-three percent of students will graduate from high school within five years. Ninety percent of students enroll in two- or four-year colleges, and those who enroll graduate from college at three times the national average for low income students.
In addition to funding the school’s starting costs, DRW has also supported the school through donation drives, by coaching sports and teaching enrichment classes, and through a workplace mentoring program for students.
Congratulations to the first graduating and all of the students at DRWCP who are “chasing down” college each day!
“When I think about how to allocate philanthropy and volunteer time, I am most interested in projects that have a long term impact on improving the community in which we live, nothing comes closer to accomplishing that than education.” - Don Wilson, on why we decided to support DRW College Prep
